Man pleads guilty to smuggling $739k of wildlife, including crocodiles

A man has pleaded guilty to two counts of smuggling and one count of wildlife trafficking after bringing 1,700 animals into the US.

The man, Jose Manuel Perez, mostly brought reptiles into the country — ranging from turtles to crocodiles — according to a press release from the US Department of Justice (DOJ).

In total, officials estimate that Perez brought in at least $730,000 worth of wildlife.

Per the plea agreement, Perez smuggled these animals into the US between 2016 and early 2022, DOJ says. The animals came from Mexico and Hong Kong, they add.

The DOJ says that for animals brought in from Mexico, Perez had the wildlife brought into El Paso, Texas by car between Ciudad Juarez, a city along the northern border of Mexico in the state of Chihuahua.

But sometimes Perez himself would make the trip to Mexico, the agency says. He was arrested this February with 60 reptiles in small bags, three of which died, according to the press release.

Perez is scheduled to be sentenced in December and faces up to 20 years in federal for each count of smuggling and five years for wildlife trafficking.

The Independent has reached out to Perez’s lawyer for comment.

Some of the animals brought over were Yucatan box turtles, Mexican box turtles and Mexican beaded lizards, the DOJ says. They also say he brought over “baby crocodiles.”

According to the DOJ, Perez did not get permits for transporting these animals as required under the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as CITES.

CITES, which includes 183 countries and the European Union as signatories, regulates international trade in wildlife, especially threatened and endangered species.

Mexican beaded lizards, Yucatan box turtles and Mexican box turtles are all listed under Appendix II of the treaty, meaning “species that are not necessarily now threatened with extinction but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled,” according to CITES.